The Sunday routine that sets me (and my clients) up for success

As a founder coach, I’m constantly in conversations about the habits, routines, and mindset shifts that set entrepreneurs up to thrive - not just survive. Whether you're building your MVP or scaling your team, how you manage your energy, time, and attention matters just as much as your strategy or product.

So here’s a simple question I often pose to founders:

What’s one habit - big or small - that consistently sets you up for success?

For me, it’s my Sunday routine.

Before you roll your eyes at the idea of “working on a Sunday,” let me be clear: this isn’t about hustle culture or glorifying burnout. It’s about creating intentional space to move into the week feeling calm, clear, and focused. Here’s what my Sunday looks like most weeks:

💪 A HIIT workout to energise my body

👩🏻‍💻 Laptop time at a quiet café, usually with a good playlist in my ears

🍳 A post-session brunch (scrambled eggs and an oat latte - always!)

I’ve done this enough weekends now to know: this is less about productivity, and more about priming my mindset.

Here’s why this simple structure works so well—not just for me, but for many of the high-performing founders I work with:

1. Routine removes cognitive load

As a founder, you make a lot of decisions daily. From product roadmaps to investor decks to hiring calls, your brain is constantly in motion. One of the best things you can do for your decision-making muscle is give it regular breaks from decision-making.

My Sunday routine is the opposite of spontaneous. I go to the same café. I order the same brunch. I even sit at the same table, if it’s free. Boring? Maybe. But when you’ve got “big fish to fry,” there’s power in conserving cognitive energy for what matters most.

This kind of ritual reduces micro-decisions, lowers stress, and creates a mental container where I can think clearly.

2. Next-level focus

Weekdays are noisy, no matter how much you try to block your calendar or set “deep work” hours. Even if your inbox is quiet, your mind knows there are people waiting for you.

Sundays, though? That pressure disappears.

There’s something psychologically powerful about working when you don’t have to. I’m not checking Slack. I’m not reacting to other people’s timelines. I’m just creating space to think, write, plan, or sketch ideas—totally uninterrupted.

This kind of focus is what I call “entrepreneurial white space”—rare, valuable, and creatively potent.

3. I get to start the week ahead - on my terms

One of the things that drains founders most is the feeling of being behind before the week even starts. Sunday planning sessions flip that entirely.

I spend an hour or two getting intentional about the week ahead: mapping out meetings, scheduling content and campaigns, reviewing goals, and (importantly) protecting my time for what matters most.

This isn't about being a morning person (I'm not). It's about aligning my week with my values, not just reacting to everything that gets thrown at me on Monday.

To be clear, I’m not here to preach working on a Sunday. In fact, for some of my clients, the opposite approach is what unlocks their best thinking—total rest, device-free weekends, or family time.

But the point is this:

Great entrepreneurs don’t leave their mental state to chance. They build routines—personalised, sustainable ones—that create the space they need to lead effectively.

And that’s one of the core things I support founders with: designing a rhythm that supports their business goals and their humanity.

So, I’ll leave you with the same question I ask my clients:

What’s one habit you’ve developed that reliably sets you up for success?

-

If you’re not sure what that is - or you want help crafting one that actually fits your lifestyle- I’d love to chat. Founder life is too intense to go it alone.